During the latest episode of “Move the Sticks,” NFL Network’s Rhett Lewis, Daniel Jeremiah, and Bucky Brooks discussed how the competition for the number one cornerback spot in the 2025 NFL Draft is shifting. Maybe the most intriguing idea is that Texas’ Jahdae Barron has all but closed the door on Michigan’s Will Johnson, the long-assumed CB1.
Both players are impressive, and the question now is whether Barron’s dominating performance at the NFL Scouting Combine will be enough to overthrow Johnson as the top cornerback prospect in the class.
Rhett Lewis Highlights How Jahdae Barron Is Narrowing the Gap on CB1 Will Johnson
Johnson, by many accounts one of the best cornerbacks in this year’s draft, raised some eyebrows when he declined to go through the drills at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Johnson continued to impress with a 6’2″ and 194-pound body, but it was his inability to perform in high-level athletic testing, such as the 40-yard dash, that had everyone wondering about his true athletic skills.
Johnson’s 2023 film was solid, but with limited playing time in 2024 because of injury, scouts were hoping for more out of him at the Combine to shut up talk about his speed and quickness.
So, Johnson’s absence from drills left a gap in the evaluation process, which enabled other cornerbacks like Barron to become legitimate threats for the CB1 spot.
Barron, however, impressed at the NFL Scouting Combine, and it is no longer a reach to place him alongside the likes of Johnson.
Standing at 5’11” and weighing 194 pounds, Barron ran a staggering 4.39 40-yard dash, exemplifying his world-class speed and athleticism. The showing has generated eyebrows-raises because it demonstrated him having long-range speed and explosiveness, two traits that are vital for a premier cornerback.
Barron’s worth is also that he can play both outside and in, which places him as an all-around prospect for NFL teams looking for a star corner. His combine performance, by all accounts, makes him one of the top contenders for the CB1 designation and has pushed many experts to reconsider their early rankings.
“Move the Sticks” co-host Rhett Lewis pointed out how Barron’s superior athleticism could impact the overall cornerback rankings.
“What it did was it may have moved Jahdae Barron up even further,” Lewis said, noting that Barron’s athletic ability was now being considered potentially equal to that of Johnson’s.
While Johnson was the prior top contender for the starting cornerback job, Lewis believes that Lewis’s workout at the combine served to narrow the gap between him and Johnson.
That this shift means that the CB1 race is quite far from its conclusion, and NFL teams can now possibly recalculate their prospects’ profiles appears to be inevitable. While Johnson is ahead through the tape, the performance of Barron could prove significant enough to increase him in ranks as we are approaching the draft.
The Role of Athletic Testing in Influencing Draft Decisions
One of the most exciting aspects of the NFL Scouting Combine is its ability to influence a player’s draft status, and Barron’s performance could have a dramatic impact on where he is selected. As Rhett Lewis pointed out, Baron’s Combine performance could land him higher on the draft board, into the top 15 picks.
As we approach the 2025 NFL Draft, the cornerback position remains as competitive and volatile as ever.
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Johnson’s absence from key combine drills and Barron’s impressive showing at the event have only furthered the debate as to who is the top cornerback prospect. The war for CB1 is far from finished, and both players remain in contention.
With the draft looming, it will be interesting to see if Johnson’s on-field film and reputation are enough to keep him at number one or if Baron’s work at the Combine will send him to number one.
In either scenario, this rivalry is one of the best narratives to follow heading into draft day.
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